Corner Siebold’s Stellar Performance: How He Dominated the MLB Game Against Cleveland Guardians

Translation result

[MyDaily = Reporter Jinseong Kim] Connor Sewald (30, Detroit Tigers) — who drew attention last year for criticizing the Samsung Lions and later apologized to their fans — is riding a hot stretch.

On the 19th (Korean time) at Comerica Park in Detroit, Sewald entered in relief in the top of the sixth with one out and the bases loaded, the Tigers trailing the Cleveland Guardians 1-4. He worked 2 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out two.

He got into immediate trouble. With one out and the bases loaded, Sewald’s first-pitch changeup moved well outside the zone to Angel Martinez, but Martinez still ripped an RBI single to right. Still with one out and the bases loaded, Sewald hung a full-count changeup over the middle to José Ramírez, who drove a two-run double to deep right. All three inherited runners scored.

Sewald regrouped. He struck out Chase DeLauter on a foul tip with an outside 95-mph four-seam to escape the one-out, runners-on-second-and-third jam, then induced Rhys Hoskins into a groundout on a low outside slider to end the inning. As the score widened to 1-7, Sewald was pitching in a lower-pressure environment.

In the seventh, Sewald retired David Fry on a 94-mph four-seamer that fell for a fly to left, forced Travis Bazana to fly out to center on a 94.4-mph inside four-seam, and closed the frame by getting Steven Kwan to line out to right on a middle slider.

He stayed in for the eighth. Facing leadoff hitter Austin Hedges with a 1-2 count, Sewald challenged a 94.9-mph low outside four-seamer that the umpires called a ball; the ABS challenge did not overturn the call. On the full count he attacked the zone with a 94.8-mph four-seamer and Hedges popped up to center. Sewald then struck out Bryan Rochio with a changeup and popped Martinez up to third on another changeup to finish the inning.

Across 2.2 innings, he recorded eight outs and allowed no earned runs. To be fair, the game was largely decided by that point, so Cleveland’s hitters may have been less aggressive. Sewald also left a few pitches over the middle during the outing.

Still, he’s in solid form after signing a big-league deal this year. He missed time with a left-ankle injury but returned and hasn’t allowed a run in two appearances in May. In 10 games he’s 1-0 with a 3.07 ERA. He’s not the club’s primary setup arm, but he can reliably help the late-inning group.

When he left Samsung in 2024, he made headlines by criticizing the club’s training staff system. He apologized to fans for not appearing in the postseason, but his comments about the organization lingered. Last year he returned to the majors via the Tampa Bay Rays and Atlanta Braves and appeared in just seven games; this season he looks poised to reach a new career high.

Go Woo-seok, who’s pushing for a call-up from Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens, won’t have an easy path to a debut if he has to face Sewald.

Most Read News

• Am I a gangster or a thug? Chef Yoon Nam-no explains the real reason he has no tattoos

• [Official] Park Sung-kwang apologizes for comments during baseball broadcast: \”I was just focused on the game\” (full statement)

• IU and Byeon Woo-seok face acting criticism and accusations of ‘distorting history’… Director: \”I only feel sorry\” [MD Interview ③]